Uncategorized
First review hails “rewrite of Arctic history”
By Dave Obee Editor/Publisher Victoria Times-Colonist Sir John Franklin has been one of the most controversial, and misunderstood, figures in the history of exploration of Canada’s north. In this book, Ken McGoogan provides a fresh look at what made Franklin tick – and the factors that caused him to send so many men to early…
Read MoreFranklin book inspires Canadian Geographic
Ken and Louie at the ruins of the cairn John Rae built in 1854 (Photo: Cameron Treleaven) Excerpt from Searching for Franklin: New Answers to the Great Arctic Mystery Arctic historian Ken McGoogan takes an in-depth, contemporary perspective on the legacy of Sir John Franklin, offering a new explanation of the famous Northern mystery OCT 05,…
Read MoreAhoy! the 3-Ocean Franklin Extravaganza
Let’s Make History Exciting Again!
That’s what I heard myself saying today when Greg Marchildon interviewed me for a Champlain Society podcast. He asked why I had called Searching for Franklin my most ambitious book yet. That’s all it took to got me rolling. Many people think that, as a subject area worth studying, History is in danger of disappearing — especially…
Read MoreThe Franklin Book in 56 Seconds
Adventure Canada Book-Tour Extravaganza
The headline doesn’t do it justice. Full title: The Adventure-Canada, Searching-for-Franklin, Ocean-to-Ocean-to-Ocean, Book-Tour Extravaganza. Yes, we’re launching my new book, going voyaging in the Northwest Passage, and offering YOU a chance to win a $5,000 voucher to come sailing with us. Let’s break that down. My publisher, Douglas & McIntyre, has produced a splendiferous objet…
Read MoreNWP voyagers visit John Rae Plaque
Earlier this week, about 50 Northwest Passage voyagers landed on Boothia Peninsula to pay homage to explorer John Rae by visiting the John Rae Plaque and Cairn. Marine biologist Pierre Richard, pictured above taking a selfie at the site, was the one who let me know. Over the years, while sailing with Adventure Canada, I…
Read MoreA Pierre Berton House that Time forgot
A dilapidated ruin. A complete wreck. A candidate for demolition. Alas, I speak of the home in which Pierre Berton lived for decades — the house in Kleinburg, north of Toronto, where he wrote so many important books. Here is a short video that shows you what I am talking about. I guess this and…
Read MoreToronto Star searching for Franklin
Images: Edwin Landseer & Sheena Fraser McGoogan From the Toronto Star, August 19, 2023 By Ken McGoogan The Franklin search season is almost upon us. Last year, during eleven days in early September, Parks Canada underwater archaeologists retrieved 275 artifacts from HMS Erebus. That ship was one of the two recently located wrecks from the…
Read MoreSearching for Franklin Makes Eleven
Eleven research-based nonfiction books, that is. All of which take a creative-nonfiction approach to history. This makes me a subversive, I know. Academic purists should steel themselves for a little razzle-dazzle. Think Richard Gere doing his big number in the movie Chicago. Fact is, I am trying to drag History out of the university, where it…
Read More